Steam-engine.



' v Patented Sept. I8, |900. F. H. & F. 0. BALL.

STEAM ENGINE.

(Application led Jan. 30, 1900.;

2 Sheets--Sheet I.

(No Model.)

e 'www ATTDRNEY 6 ./m m d .M Y E Patented Sept. I8, |900.

F. H. & F. o. BALL. STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Jan. 80, 1900.;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Modei'.)

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I NrTED STATES PATENT EEICE.

ERANK H. BALL AND FREDERICK o. BALLoE PLAINEIELD, NEW JERSEY.

lrrEAlvI-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formilg' part of Letters Patent N0. 658,199, dated September 18, 1900; Application led January 30, 1900l Serial No. 3,350. (No model.)

.To a/ZZ whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that we, FRANK H. BALL and FREDERICK O. BALL, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Plainfield, in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact' description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to steam-engines; and it consists in certain improvements in the construction thereof, as will be hereinafter fully described,and pointed out in the claims.

More particularly our invention relates to compound engines, and it is especially adapted to compound engines the cylinders of which are set side by side and which operate upon a common cross-head. This style of compound engine we have termeda duplex compound engine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows:

Figure l shows a broken section of the cylinders and valve mechanism, the metal being broken away through the low-pressure cylinder to the center of the high-pressure cylinder, the steam-chest being in'section on the line l l in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows aside elevation of the cylinders and steam-chest with the steam-chest cover removed. Fig. 3 shows a section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows an elevation of the inner side of the receiver.

A marks the high-pressure cylinder, and B the low-pressure cylinder. These cylinders are preferably cast in one piece and are arranged side by side in cross-compound relation. The pistons of the high and low pressure cylinders D and D', respectively, are connected by their rods D2 and lDS with the common cross-head D4. The steam-chest O is of ordinary construction, having the side c, cover o', and exhaust-port c2. The steam-inlet A' extends by the passage A2 around the cylinder A to the steam-port a, which is at the center of steam-chest over the high-pressure cylinder. The ports d a open into the steam-chest at each side of the steam-port a and adjacent thereto and extend-from the steam-chest-to the high-pressure cylinder. Ports b b, extending practically across the valve surface of the steam-chest, lead from the steam-chest to the low-pressure cylinder. Supported in the stearn-chest in a position opposite the valve-surface is the receiver E. It is supported on the parallel bars e c'.

AThese parallelbars are secured to the valve- 'surface of the chest by means of screws ef".

They are also provided-with the perforations es, through which are passed the bolts e7 for securing the receiver in place. Y The valve F is arranged to work between the valve-surface of the steam-chest and the inner surface of the receiver, so that the receiver operates as a balance-plate for the valve. is provided with two ports e4, one at each end. The entire inner part of the receiver communicates with these ports.

The valve is of the gridirou variety and is of just suflicient thickness to completely fill the space between the Valve surface of the steam-chest and the inner surface of the receiver. Y It is provided with two cross-bars ff, forming the steam-chamber f! between them; These bars f are so arranged relatively to the ports a ct' that the port ct is put into communication-with one of the portsdv and cut off fromthe other of said ports when the valve is in its extreme position in either direction. At the end ofthe valve are the crossbarsfz, which extend entirely across the valve, forming the chamber f3 between them and the bars f. The chamber f4 forms the rest of the valve. The chamber f4 is separated from the chamber f by the longitudinal partition f6. The Valvebars f2 are so larranged relatively to the ports b that the ports b are brought alternately into the chamber f3 f3 and into the steam-chest outside of the valve. The ports e4 are so arranged relatively to the bars ff2 that they are at all times in communication with the chambers f3 f4. The result of this construction of the valve in controlling the iiow of steam through the engine is as follows: Steam enters through the port a and in the position shown in the drawings passes through the port d', at the left in Fig. l, iuto the high-pressure cylinder back of the piston D. At the same time the steam from the re- The recei ver- IOO the same time the exhaust-steam from t-he right of the lowpressure piston passes through the port I) at the right into the steam-chest and out of the steam-chest at the exhaust-opening c2.

The valve-surface of the receiver E is provided with the depressions c2, e3, and e5, which are arranged opposite lthe port a, a', and b, repectively, to facilitate the balancing of the valve and to permit a double entrance of steam through the secondary passage f5 in the valve. The purpose of these secondary passages and depressions are well known. There is also arranged in the valve-surface of the steam-chest a depression a2 opposite the port e4 for the same purpose.

It will be noted that the receiver E forms a passage exterior to the valve for conveying steam from the exhaust of the high-pressure cylinder to the end taking steam in the lowpressure cylinder, and that the same ends of both the high and low pressure cylinders take steam at the same time. By this construction the piston-rods may be attached to a common cross-head, thus saving materially in the expense of the construction of the engine. This type of engine is also much superior to the tandem compound engines because all the parts are readily accessible. It will be noted also that by arranging the receiver E in the steam-chest the condensa tion of steam in the receiver is brought to a minimum.

l. In a compound engine, the combination of the high and low pressure cylinders arranged in cross compound relation; the double-acting piston mechanism foreach; a common cross-head for said piston mechanism; a single valve for controlling the Iiow of steam to and from the said high and low pressure cylinders; and a passage exterior to the valve forming a receiver for conveying the steam from the end of the high-pressure cylinder exhausting to the opposite end of the lowpressure cylinder, said passages being also controlled by said valve.

2. In a compound engine, the combination of the high and low pressure cylinders arranged in cross compound relation; doubleacting piston mechanism for each; a common cross-head for said piston mechanism; a steam-chest; a receiver arranged within the steaxn-chest between the high and low pressure cylinders; a single valve for controlling tlie flow of steam to and from thc high and low pressure cylinders and to and from said receiver.

3. In a compound engine, the combination of the high and low pressure cylinders arranged in cross compound relation, doubleacting piston mechanism for said cylinders, a common cross-head for said piston mechanism, a steam-chest, a receiver arranged within said steam-chest between the high and low pressure cylinders, and a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of steam from the high and low pressure cylinders and to and from said receiver. I

4:. In a compound engine, the combination of a high and a low pressure cylinder arranged in cross compound relation; doubleacting piston mechanism for said cylinders; a common cross-head for said piston mechanism; a steam-chest; a receiver arranged with' in said steam-chest and provided with passages for conveying steam from the end of the high-pressure cylinder, exhausting to the opposite end of the low-pressure cylinder; and a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of steam to and from said high and low pressure cylinders and to and from said re ceiver.

5. In a compound engine, the combination of a high and low pressure cylinder arranged in cross compound relation; double-acting piston mechanism for said cylinders; a common cross-head for said piston mechanism; a steam-chest; a receiver arranged within said steam-chest; and provided. with passages for conveying steam from the end of the highpressure cylinder exhausting, to the opposite end of the lov-pressure cylinder; and a single valve arranged to control the flow of steam to and from said high and low pressure cylinders and to and from said receiver.

6. In a compound engine, the combination of a high and low pressure cylinder; steamchest having the ports a a and b, leading to the steam-supply the high-pressure cylinder and the low-pressure cylinder respectively; the receiver E, arranged over the valve-surface of the steam-chest and having the ports, e4, said receiver having passages for conveying steam by the port, c4, from the end of the high-pressure cylinder exhausting, to the opposite end of the low-pressure cylinder; the valve, F, having cross-bars f and f2, arranged relatively to the ports in the steam-chest and receiver, to effect a passage of steam :from the exhaust end of the high-pressure cylinder to the opposite end of the low-pressure cylinder.

7. In a compound engine, the combination of a high and a low pressure cylinder, A B; piston mechanism arranged in said cylinders; a common cross-head for said piston mechanism; steam-chest, C, having the ports, a, a', b, to the steam-supply, the high-pressure cylf` inder and the low-pressure cylinder respectively; thc parallel bars, e, e; the receiver IOO IIO

E, arranged on said bars and havingthe ports, In testimony whereof We aix our signa# e4, and said receiver forming -a eonneetingtures in presence of two Witnesses.

passage therein; the valve, F, arranged to FRANK H. BALL; operate between the inner surface of receiver, FREDERICK O. BALL.- E, and the Valve-surface of the steam-ches@ Witnesses:

said Valve having the bars, f f2, arranged in HOWARD I. BRAMPTON;

relation to the ports, e4, a, a", b, as described. ROBT. T. BRAMPTON. 

